A recent medical study revealed to researchers from the international group “VER-A-T1D” that one of the common drugs for treating blood pressure has benefits in type 1 diabetes management.
The researchers revealed during the last annual meeting of the European Society for the Study of Diabetes, that the drug Ferrabamil, which is used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease, may help maintain the function of insulin -producing cells for patients who have been recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
136 adults from different countries of Europe participated in the clinical experiment, where a group of them was given “Ferrabamil”, while the second group obtained an imaginary drug without any effects, and after a year of monitoring the participants in the study and their health condition it was found to the researchers that the pancreas in patients who received Ferrabamil kept a better ability to produce insulin, and this allows them to rely less on the doses of insulin that is given by Injections.
The researchers pointed out that the effect of the drug on the participants was average, as the noticeable improvements were more clear in the first months, then the differences between the group that took the drug and those that took the imaginary medicine over time, as they recorded some side effects such as low heart rate, but were light and faded on its own.
They emphasized that these results may open a door to develop treatments that help type 1 diabetes.
It is noteworthy that type 1 diabetes is a chronic self -immune condition in which the immune system is destroyed by insulin -producing pancreatic cells, and this prevents the production of insulin necessary to convert glucose into energy, and those with it need to inject daily insulin to survive.
Common symptoms include severe thirst, frequent urination, persistent hunger and unjustified weight loss, and the disease management requires adopting healthy habits that include a balanced diet, regular physical activity, in addition to periodic follow -up with the health care team to control blood sugar level.